Free To Fall
by RagsOfAsh
Summary: NO LONGER UPDATED "Wake up, you're late." A disgruntled voice made the copynin crack an eye open then he sat up, fully awake... THIS IS NO LONGER ACTIVE
1. Chapter 1

"Shit." The silver headed man dodged a kunai that whizzed too close by his head and made a loud thunk as it hit the tree. They were being ambushed in the middle of the night; the traps having given them a few seconds warning before the attack came. "Sakura!" He yelled across the trees at the pink headed woman that just dodged a blast of fire. "Where's Naruto!"

"The river!" Suddenly a large explosion and a flying blonde headed boy landed in the middle of the fight.

The boy snickered as he stood, wobbling back and forth, "But Iruka-sensei, I don't want to do the sexy-no-jitsu again."

A black headed boy jumped from the shadows, throwing a kunai at a ninja poised above the delirious fox child, "Snap out of it Naruto or you'll get yourself killed!"

The pink headed chunin yelped as a sword slice through her small arm, blood spattering on her sensei as he appeared beside her. "Naruto you idiot!" Sakura hissed at him as he rolled to the ground.

"I'm not an idiot!" The fox child's eyes suddenly opened and the delirium passed. "Sasuke!" The once spacey child jumped and landed on the head of the invading ninja and snapped his neck with a swift flick smiling at the surprised Uchiha clan member.

"Stop playing around." Said clan member hissed.

Kakashi ran a hand through his silver hair that was now splattered with blood. He smiled at Sakura who was bandaging the arm of a less than cooperative Naruto.

"Ouch! That hurts!"

"Well if you had stayed at the camp you wouldn't have gotten your ass beat so bad." She hissed and smacked his hurt arm, "Idiot!"

The boy fell over twitching, "I'm… not…an...idiot." He grumbled painfully, grabbing his arm. They never changed; even after all they had been through, they remained the same.

"Sakura," The silent Sasuke touched her arm, "You're bleeding."

"I'm fine." She laughed, a blush covering her cheeks as the intent gaze of Sasuke landed on her and refused to leave. Kakashi remembered how Rin looked that way; after she had waited all those years to see the caring in those eyes. And the one time he let it show, it was the last time he saw her face. The jounin sighed again and pulled out his book; he needed to escape the memories of the past. They were a lot like the three of them though. Only, Obito was gone before they were at that age. He hadn't truly gotten close to anyone after that; the closest friend he had, at the moment, was his eternal rival Gai. He smirked at the thought, annoying little brat that he was. After Obito's death, Rin and her sister had become the copy-nin's best friends second only to the fourth Hokage; but even then he couldn't keep them safe. That was always what he was trying to do; keep everyone safe, even if it cost him his life. In that, Kakashi Hatake was a lot like Naruto.

"Kakashi-sensei, do you need healing?" The green eyes of Sakura were now in front of him, looking over his body with her medically inclined eyes like Rin had done so many times before.

"No, I'm fine." He stood slowly, wincing in pain as the wound in his leg gushed blood. "We're almost back to the village."

"Home!" Naruto jumped, conveniently taking the spotlight away from the copy-nin who was trying to hide his injury. "Let's get home quick! I want some Ramen!"

Sasuke's dark eyes glanced over at their sensei, then met the man's gray eye with his own; his dark eyes traveling down to the puddle of blood. "Not until Sakura does something about Kakashi-sensei."

The jounin hissed and plopped back down to the ground, Sakura's hands working on the wound. Since when had they started taking care of him?

Kakashi fell to his bed in his cold room and curled against a pillow; it had been years since he had felt the warmness of another body. His eye glanced over the Icha Icha Paradise books stacked on the floor and he rolled over; his back to them. Lately, nothing could stave off his depression; the steadily decreasing need of team 7 for his leadership made a void in him. He had become attached to the group and he cursed himself for it. "What have I gotten myself into." He closed his eye slowly; the picture of Rin, Sumi, and Obito playing on the back of his eyelids; haunting him.


	2. Chapter 2

"Wake up, you're late." A disgruntled voice made the copy-nin crack an eye open, then he sat up, fully awake. Before him stood the picture image of his late friend Rin, just older.

"R-Rin?"

The petite head tilted, pink hair swaying softly in the breeze from the open window but she didn't speak.

The blue eyes tipped him off that this was not his friend Rin that had died years ago; but someone who looked remarkably like her. "Who are you and what are you doing here."

"Tsunade-sensei sent me. It's imperative that you're not late for this mission."

"That's the 'what' now 'who'." He growled and stood, his back popping as he stretched. He noticed her eyes glanced down his bare chest and he cocked a brow at her, "Do I need to ask the what are you doing here again?"

Blue eyes suddenly met his gray eye and they blazed, "My name is Ariwara Sumi."

For the second time that morning the copy-nin nearly jumped from his skin, "Ariwara Sumi?"

She nodded, "Now Tsunade-sensei said that you should hurry." She began to rummage through his drawers and pulled out a shirt, "Here this will be ni--." When she turned around the jounin was right behind her, "But you were said to have died."

She shivered at the closeness of the powerful ninja, "You didn't recognize me until now, eh?" Her lips upturned into a smile, "I was taken captive. I've been working as a spy for a number of years and just recently returned."

"There's no way you could have survived the loss of that much blood."

Sumi frowned and pushed her hair into a ponytail, "That's because the enemy took me as a test subject. I was as good as dead until then."

"Rin died thinking you had been killed." He growled lowly. At the wide eyes of the kunoichi across from him; he suddenly regretted the words.

"Rin is…dead?"

"You didn't know?" Suddenly he took a step back at seeing tears form in her eyes, "She died a long time ago - a little after we thought you had died - the same battle actually."

"I," She looked down at the ground, "I hadn't been able to head home just yet. I was going there right after I did this. I didn't even think to ask Tsunade. I had so many other things to catch up on - had to be filled in about the new Hokage." She whispered softly, "All these years… I thought, you would have married her."

"Of course not." Granted, he did like Rin - just not in that way. His true feelings were only directed toward this one; the one standing in front of him whom he thought died along with Rin. "Sumi," He held open his arms and she fell willingly to his chest, sobs racking her body as tears streamed down her face and to his bare skin. "Your sister loved you and would have done anything in her power so you wouldn't have to go through that." He could only imagine the hell she endured in the enemies clutches. It was then he noticed a scar peeking from the back of her collar and he sighed; there were more and he knew it. The child he had grown up with, who lived in his shadow and her sisters shadow; was standing before him, crumbling in mere seconds. The hell she had been in just got worse.

He felt her push away and she sniffed, "It couldn't be helped." Her blue eyes didn't meet his again, she merely tossed the clothes at him and turned to the window, "Tsunade needs you."

He, uncharacteristically, wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder, "Someone else needs me now."

"I'm fine." She hissed lightly, her body stiffening against his. "I was sent to point you to the mission."

"Point all you want; I'm not leaving."

Sumi shivered, pink hair brushing his mask, "Kakashi - did you - did you forget me? That's why you and Rin left me wasn't it? You thought I was right behind you , but I wasn't." She shivered again, "I kept thinking you would turn around and not see me and come back for me. I could see you and Rin running and that's why I didn't scream. I - you two… I was always the burden."

"Sumi," He sighed against her neck. She had always been the quiet one in the background, cleaning up the messes. It was for that reason she was the Hunter-Nin but, on that mission they had her in combat.

"It's alright, Kakashi." She rounded her back into his chest, "I'm fine now."

"We knew you had been captured, Sumi." He felt her stiffen again, "We were circling around to come back to you from behind; but when we got there you were gone and only a puddle of blood remained. We assumed you had died and retreated. But, we were followed." He tightened his hold around her waist so she couldn't escape, "Rin made it look like we had both been hurt and slowed my heart rate to where I was temporarily dead. They left us there. When I came back, Rin was dead."

She turned around, blue eyes meeting his gray in a steely glare, "I said I'm fine." With that she jumped from the window, disappearing before landing on the ground. She had spent over ten years with the enemy and it had hardened her; that much the copy-nin could tell. She was no longer the one hidden in the shadows, cleaning up the messes; she was now nearly emotionless. But the tears he had seen were the remnants of a life she thought she had left behind; and it must have been frightening.

Kakashi sighed as he looked at the three chunin over his book; they were sifting through their pockets trying to find money for lunch. "But I paid for it last time!" Naruto objected, his little frog pouch almost empty.

"Don't loose next time." Sasuke stuffed his hands in his shorts and leaned against the tree.

"I let you win this time!" The fox child barked as he pointed at the solemn Uchiha clan member.

Sakura sighed, "You suck at rock, paper, scissors Naruto; just give it up already."

The copy-nin's mind wandered to two weeks ago; Sumi making her first appearance in years. Everyone thought she had died; they even put her name on the memorial stone beside her sister Rin. She had lived all those years thinking they had just left her to die; never knowing she had lost her only family member.

A hiss alluded him to an upset Sumi hiding in the trees and he flipped a page in his book, "Couldn't stay away."

"Tsunade again." Her voice was a growl, her blue eyes clearly upset. "She took me off as a Hunter-nin."

Kakashi knew that was the one thing Sumi excelled in and taking that from her was almost like taking her existence. "That bitch - I liked the other Hokage better."

He smirked beneath his mask; at least that was the same, "He played favorites."

"Like Tsunade doesn't. I've seen the way she looks at you; if she wasn't fifty years old I'd be jealous." She peeked into the book, tilting her head, "So disgusting."

"Is that why you're still looking?" He laughed softly and looked up at the blushing jounin. "And exactly what would you have to be jealous about?"

Sumi humped and crossed her arms over her chest; turning her nose up into the air, "You're disgusting."

"That's not what you thought at one time." The blush reappeared on her cheeks and he smirked beneath his mask again. He wasn't worried about his chunin overhearing the conversation; they were too absorbed in their own conversation about Ramen and money.

She huffed again and jumped beside the jounin, "That was a long time ago, Kakashi. I have grown since then." Then she whispered softly, "I'm not the innocence I was back then."

"You weren't innocent back then either. You were one of the best rivals I've had." His lazy gray eye glanced over her slowly, "You had some of the best moves too."

The blush returned to her cheeks and spread over the bridge of her nose, "Pervert."

"Always." He stood and yawned, "Lunch?"

Her blue eyes were surprised, "'I'd love some."

"I'm not paying for you."

She rolled her eyes, "I should have known."


	3. Chapter 3

Pink hair gleamed in the sunlight as the young kunoichi jumped from the tree limb, slicing her attackers throat, "Sumi!" The shrill cry came from Rin who's green eyes were staring at her sister.

Kakashi was beside the frozen female in an instant, "Wake up Sumi or you'll get yourself killed!"

Blue eyes flitted up to the copy-nin as blood splattered on his silver hair, then her shoulders slumped as she stood. In one swift jump she was in the middle of the enemy ninja, blood splattered to the green leaves and trees as the cloud ninja fell in a heap of carnage at the kunoichi's feet. Both Rin and Kakashi's mouths dropped open, "S-sumi?" Rin squeaked past her dry throat.

When Sumi turned to face them, her face was streamed with tears, "I'm only 9, Rin. I haven't killed anyone before."

"Sometimes, we forget she's younger than us, Rin." Kakashi's voice was low, "We forced her into this."

Rin sighed and fell to the ground gracefully, "It was going to happen eventually. I'll heal your wounds, Kakashi." The teenage shin obi glanced at the two sisters as Rin healed his wounds.

The gap in age didn't change them much in looks, but the nine year old shouldn't have been on a mission with them. "She'll need some guidance, Rin. She's falling apart."

The pink headed kunoichi sighed, "My sister and I don't get along Kakashi; she doesn't speak and I don't know what she's thinking. I can't make it better for her because I don't know how." Her hands fell to her knees, "I can heal the outside wounds easily; but when it comes to the inside… I'm lost." Green eyes refused to look at anything but the bloody hands that had just healed her teammate.

Kakashi stood, and walked slowly over to where Sumi was still standing, "You need to clean your weapons."

She nodded and followed him to the creek where she knelt silently at the waters edge, the massive amounts of blood swirling in the water and turning it a sickening pale pink. "It was your first kill."

"Obviously." She sighed, scrubbing the shuriken of the skin and muscles that had gathered on it.

"It hurts."

There was a pause and the blue eyes met his gray one, "No, not anymore. It did; something inside died and it hurt then. But, now, it doesn't hurt as much."

"Innocence." He sighed and knelt beside her, "Your innocence died. I was four when it happened to me."

"Kashi, why didn't Rin - why are you here?" Her blue eyes were almost pleading with him to lie to her; to tell her that the only sister she had was busy. She whispered, "You always make excuses for everything."

He sighed and glanced at the shimmering weapons that were now spotless, "I can't on this, Sumi."

She fell to his lap, sobbing into his knees, then she whispered against the bloodied cloth, "Hokage-sama offered me a place as a hunter-nin last week."

"This is your first lethal mission." His voce was more than a little surprised.

Sumi nodded, pink hair starting to stick in clumps from the spattered blood, "He said that if I came out alive from this mission I would then be accepted." Her tiny fingers gripped his pants, "Kashi, you're in ANBU aren't you?" He nodded and she took the shift in him as a yes, "And Rin as well, I've seen her mask in the house. Hers is a cat, yours is a wolf - isn't it?"

"Sumi -"

"I don't want to wear a mask, but hokage-sama says I have to. I won't be an animal."

"We need to go back to the village."

With a few days, they were back at the village, Sumi inside the hokage's office and left with a new outfit and mask.

Kakashi sighed as Sumi sat next to him as the sun disappeared over the village. "And? What did you choose for a mask?" The short nine year old came from the shadows, her mask a porcelain white, except for the konoha symbol and blood red paint at the corners of the eye hole's that trickled as tears down the mask. His breath caught, "Sumi -"

"In honor of all shin obi's innocence."


End file.
